The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Internal combustion engines draw air into an intake manifold through a throttle valve. The air in the intake manifold is distributed to a plurality of cylinders and combined with fuel to create an air/fuel (A/F) mixture. The A/F mixture is combusted within the cylinders to drive pistons which rotatably turn a crankshaft and generate drive torque. The drive torque is transferred to a driveline of a vehicle via a transmission. Exhaust resulting from combustion may be expelled from the cylinders into an exhaust manifold and treated by an exhaust treatment system before being released into the atmosphere.
Gas (e.g., air, fuel, and/or exhaust) within a cylinder may enter a crankcase of the cylinder past a piston ring of the cylinder. Gas that enters the crankcase may also be referred to as blow-by vapor. The crankcase includes the crankshaft which is connected to the piston. The crankcase also includes oil for lubricating the movement of the crankshaft and the piston and other moving parts. Gas within the crankcase may contaminate the oil and is generally vented from the crankcase to decrease pressure within the crankcase.